Means for discharging or exhausting air from the interior of a building



March 2, 1965 M. WEXLER MEANS FOR DISCHARGING 0R EXHAUSTING AIR FROM THEINTERIOR OF A BUILDING 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed OGt. 19, 1962 nvvavronMONROE 1.. WEXL El? 4 T TORNEYS March 2, 1965 M WEXLER 3,171,343

MEANS FOR DISCHAR GING OR EXHAUSTING AIR FROM THE INTERIOR OF A BUILDINGFiled Oct. 19, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I V E N TOR MONROE L. WEXL 0ATTORNEYS March 1965 M. L. WEXLER 3, 7 ,343

MEANS FOR DISCHARGING OR EXHAUSTING AIR FROM THE INTERIQR OF A BUILDINGFiled Oct. 19, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet s FIG. 7 F

United States Patent 3,171,343 MEANS FOR DISCHARGING OR EXHAUSTING AIRFROM THE INTERIOR OF A BUILDING Monroe L. Wexler, Philadelphia, Pa.,assignor to Acme Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Oct. 19,1962, Ser. No. 231,647 4 Claims. (Cl. 98-119) The present inventionrelates to means for discharging or exhausting air from the interior ofa building, and more particularly to means for exhausting moist air andlint emanating from home laundry dryers to the outside of the building.

T he widespread use in recent years of clothes dryers in the homecreated the problem of providing an elfective, inexpensive and readilyinstalled unit for discharging the moist air from the dryer to theexterior of the building during operation of the dryer, and which unitalso must close automatically when the dryer is not in operation, so asto prevent the entry of outside air, dust, insects and the like into thebuilding. While numerous units have heretofore been proposed for solvingthe problems, such prior units are not entirely satisfactory,particularly with respect to the means for pivotally mounting the flapvalve or damper to the face plate, and which valve functions to open andclose the discharge end of the conduit or duct connected to thedischarge opening of the dryer.

In existing pivotal flap valves, the mounting is accomplished bystriking horizontally spaced tongues from the face plate with suchtongues being bent to provide upright hooks. Each book engages acoacting aperture in the flap valve and an exposed opening is present inthe face plate at each location from which a tongue has been struck.

For the-proper installation of a unit of the type described, it isnecessary and always prescribed that weather caulking be applied to thatsurface of the face plate which is in contact with the other wall of thebuilding. If the caulking compound enters one of the exposed face plateopenings and touches the pivotal mounting located therein, functions ofthemounting will be impaired or stopped.

Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to provide anassemblage which will overcome the above and other objectionablecharacteristics existing in the art.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a unit of thetype described in which the face plate and flap valve or damper includecomplemental means defining a pivotal connection which cannot bind withthe flap valve in its fully open or partially open positions, therebyensuring the proper setting of the flap valve when the dryer is not inoperation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an assemblage of thetype under consideration which is simple in structural detail, positiveand efiicient in operation, and capable of being readily andinexpensively manufactured.

Additional objects of the invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description and annexed drawings, and in whichdrawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded View of the components of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2, the viewlooking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view partly broken away of the wall plate;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the wall plate shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the valve plate; and,

FIG. 8 is a side view of the valve plate shown in FIG. 7.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, there is illus- 3,171,343Patented Mar. 2, 1965 ice trated a substantially cylindrical exhaustconduit or duct 1 which is adapted to extend through the outer wall of abuilding, and being connected by suitable means, not shown, at its innerend, with the exhaust outlet of a dryer.

Suitably secured to the outer end of the duct 1 is a face plate or wallplate 2 which lies flush against the outer surface of the building wall,while a finishing pla te 3 engages the inner end and contacts the insidewall of the building. The plate 2 is formed with a circular opening 4for receiving the outer end of the duct 1, and it will be seen that theouter end of the duct is flared as at 5, and provided with a head 6 fordefining the connection between the duct and the plate.

A flap valve or damper plate 7 is pivotally connected to the wall plate2, as denoted generally at 3, for opening and closing the outer end ofthe duct 1, as will later be more fully described. A hood 9 is connectedto the wall plate 2, and the hood includes a front wall 11 slopingdownwardly and outwardly, end walls 11 and substantially channel-shapedmembers 12 extending outwardly from the side walls. The channel-shapedmembers 12 are adapted to receive the vertical edges of the wall plate2. In addition, the upper edge of the hood is provided with a dependingflange 13 which will overlie the upper horizontal edge of the plate 2.The members 12 are chamfered as at 14 for tooling purposes, and the sameis true of the flange 13, as indicated at 15'. In addition, each channelmember 12 is provided with a hole 16 adjacent the chamfers 14 forreceiving a dimple in the front flange.

The flap valve or damper plate 7 is of such dimensions 1 as to close theopening 4 in the plate 2 when the valve is in the closed position (FIG.4). The upper edge of the valve 7 is notched or cut away intermediatethe vertical edges, as shown at 17, to provide a pair of upstanding ears18, and the ears are bent rearwardly from the plane of the front of thevalve as indicated at 1%.

The wall plate 2 along its upper horizontal edge is provided with a pairof spaced apart, notched areas 26 separated by upstanding portion 21 ofthe wall plate 2. The wall plate 2 in the areas contiguous to thenotched areas 215 slope forwardly as at 22, and the length of eachnotched area 20 corresponds substantially to the length of the ears 18,while the length of the notched area 17 of the flap valve 4 correspondsto that of the upstanding portion 21 of the wall plate 2. Manifestly,the rearwardly bent portions 19 of the cars 18 are adapted to fit overthe upper edges of the notched areas 20 of the wall plate 2, so as toconstitute the means for pivoting the flap valve 7 to the wall plate 2.Furthermore, as shown in FIG- URE 4, the depth of the notched areas 20and the height of the ears 18 are such that the flap valve may movereadily toward and away from the opening 3 without the portions 19 beingbound to the upper edges of the notched areas 26. Also, the relationshipbetween these components and the upper portion of the hood 9 preventsthe flap valve from being displaced vertically a sufiicient distance forthe rearwardly bent portion 19 to become disengaged from the upper edgesof the notched areas 29.

It will further be noted that the flap valve 7 is provided withdistorted or outwardly bulged portions 23 for enabling the valve to restsubstantially flush with the outer surface of the wall plate when thevalve is in the closed position.

Since the flange 13 of the hood overlies the upper horizontal edge ofthe wall plate 2 including the notched areas 21 there is no danger of acaulking compound applied between the plate 2 and the outer wall of thebuilding entering the notched areas and impairing the functioning of thepivotal connection between the wall plate and the valve 7.

While I have described the invention with particular we regard to itsuse with home laundry dryers, it is obvious that the assembly can beemployed in other situations.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity to thedrawings, but changes or modifications may be made therein, so long assuch changes or modifications mark no material departure from the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An air discharge assembly comprising a wall plate having an aperturetherein adapted'to receive an end of a conduit, said wall plate having ahorizontally extending edge portion spaced above the aperture, said edgeportion lying in a plane spaced from the plane of the wall plateforwardly of the aperture, a flap valve for covering said aperture andincluding along its upper edge an inwardly and downwardly turned lipmeans overlying said horizontally extending edge portion of the wallplate for hingedly suspending the valve from said edge portion,complemental surfaces on said edge portion and lip means tor restrictinglateral shifting movement of said flap valve relatively to said wallplate, and a hood fixedly secured to said wall plate and including aportion extending downwardly and forwardly from the top edge of saidwall plate to provide an outwardly flaring outlet for the discharge ofair from said conduit, and including an upper edge portion defining adownwardly facing channel overlying and enclosing said horizontallyextending edge portion and associated lip means for preventing the flapvalve lip means from being displaced vertically a sufficient distance tobe disengaged from the horizontally extending portion of the wall plate.

2..The air discharge assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which saiddownwardly. facing channel includes an inner wall portion of sufficientlength to cover fully said horizontally extending edge portion of thewall plate for preventing the entry of foreign matter into the meanshingedly suspending the flap valve from the edge portion of the wallplate.

3. An air discharge assembly comprising a wall plate having an aperturetherein for receiving an end of a conduit, a valve for closing andopening said aperture, a pair of spaced apart ears of substantial axiallength extending from the upper edge of said valve and terminating ininwardly bent portions, the upper edge of said wall platebeing rovidedwith a pair of spaced apart notched areas each of substantially the samelength as said ears for receiving said ears to provide a pivotalconnection between the valve and the wall plate, a hood attached to saidwall plate and provided with an outlet for discharging air downwardlytherefrom, and said hood including an upper edge portion definin adownwardly facing channel overlying and enclosing said ears and notchedareas for preventing the ears from being displaced vertically asufiicient distance to be disengaged from said notched areas of the wallplate.

4. An air discharge assembly comprising a wall plate having an aperturetherein for receiving an end of a conduit, a valve for opening andclosing said aperture, a plurality of spaced apart ears of substantialaxial length extending from the upper edge of said valve and terminatingin inwardly bent portions, said wall plate having a horizontallyextending edge portion spaced above the aperture, said edge portionlying in a plane spaced from the plane of the wall plate forwardly ofthe aperture, said edge portion of the wall plate being provided with aplurality of spaced apart notched areas each of substantially the samelength as said ears for receiving said ears for providing a pivotalconnection between the valve and wall plate, a hood attached to the wallplate and provided with an outlet for discharging air downwardlytherefrom, said hood including an upper edge portion defining adownwardly facing channel overlying and enclosing said notched areas ofthe horizontally extending edge portion of the wall plate and said earsfor preventing said ears from being displaced vertically a sufiicientdistance to be disengaged from the edge portion of the wall plate, andsaid channel including an inner wall portion of sufficient length tocover fully said horizontally extending edge portion of the wall platefor preventing the entry of foreign matter into the pivotal connection.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT A. OLEARY,Primary Examiner.

1. AN AIR DISCHARGE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A WALL PLATE HAVING AN APERTURETHEREIN ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN END OF A CONDUIT, SAID WALL PLATE HAVING AHORIZONTALLY EXTENDING EDGE PORTION SPACED ABOVE THE APERTURE, SAID EDGEPORTION LYING IN A PLANE SPACED FROM THE PLANE OF THE WALL PLATEFORWARDLY OF THE APERTURE, A FLAP VALVE FOR COVERING SAID APERTURE ANDINCLUDING ALONG ITS UPPER EDGE AN INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY TURNED LIPMEANS OVERLYING SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING EDGE PORTION OF THE WALLPLATE FOR HINGEDLY SUSPENDING THE VALVE FROM SAID EDGE PORTION,COMPLEMENTAL SURFACES ON SAID EDGE PORTION AND LIP MEANS FOR RESTRICTINGLATERAL SHIFTING MOVEMENT OF SAID FLAP VALVE RELATIVELY TO SAID WALLPLATE, AND A HOOD FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID WALL PLATE AND INCLUDING APORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY FROM THE TOP EDGE OF SAIDWALL PLATE TO PROVIDE AN OUTWARDLY FLARING OUTLET FOR THE DISCHARGE OFAIR FROM SAID CONDUIT, AND INCLUDING AN UPPER EDGE PORTION DEFINING ADOWNWARDLY FACING CHANNEL OVERLYING AND ENCLOSING SAID HORIZONTALLYEXTENDING EDGE PORTION AND ASSOCIATED LIP MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE FLAPVALVE LIP MEANS FROM BEING DISPLACED VERTICALLY A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TOBE DISENGAGED FROM THE HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING PORTION OF THE WALL PLATE.